03 May 2013

American POP! Opens This Saturday

By Emily Timmons

Davenport, Iowa (May 2, 2013)– Andy Warhol. James Rosenquist. Roy Lichtenstein. These are the names of American Pop Art. Beginning Saturday, May 4 the Figge Art Museum welcomes American POP! Featuring selections from the CU Art Museum at the University of Colorado Boulder, this exhibit presents key works from the bold and outrageous Pop Art movement.

In the 1960s, artists embraced the vibrant urban landscape and economic boom following World War II. Pop Art glorified and parodied the "things" of everyday life, adopting images from mass media, cartoons and advertisements. An extroverted and energetic movement, Pop Art depicted everything previously considered unworthy of notice in the art world. Artist and critic Max Kozloff noted that in Pop Art, "Anything goes, just as anything goes on the street."

While critics prophesied Pop Art would die a quick death, these familiar, often amusing images were an instant hit with the public and paved the way for artists to explore our relationship with the media and our everyday landscape. Today, Pop Art stands as a cultural critique of materialism in America.

This exhibition will run until September 8, 2013 and is sponsored by the Iowa Arts Council and Butler Insurance Services, Inc. 

Companion Events (sponsored by Scott County Regional Authority)


Art Talk 

Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 p.m.  

Explore the newly installed exhibition American POP! and stick around for a free gallery talk by Figge curator Rima Girnius, PhD. that focuses on the artwork and artists involved.  

   

Artists Talk about American POP!

Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m.
Experience American POP! through the eyes of four local artists as they discuss the artworks from their point of view.

Pushing the Envelope: Family Gallery
Through August 11, 2013
In conjunction with the American POP! exhibition, bring your family to explore the phenomenon of Pop Art through this hands-on exhibition.

Studio 1: Pop Art Soup

July 6-October 20

Based on the special exhibition, American Pop, this Studio 1 installation will feature an entertaining video about artist  Andy Warhol, a look at some of the iconic images that transformed the art of a generation and lots of fun art projects that use color and imagination in the Pop Art tradition.  Families will enjoy the enriching activities and information in this Pop Art Studio 1 experience.

Docent-led Exhibition Tours

Saturdays and Sundays in May, 1:30pm

Free with membership or paid admission.

About the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org.

Free on Thursdays; Free with membership or paid admission all other days

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23 Apr 2013

Come PechaKucha with Us!

By Emily Timmons

Davenport, Iowa (April 23, 2013) - The Figge Art Museum will hold its third PechaKucha Night on Thursday, April 25th at 6:30pm in the museum lobby.

At PechaKucha Night, guests will hear a variety of entertaining talks, from RAGBRAI to wood carving, Junior Theatre to photography! This week's lineup includes: Dawn Wohlford-Metallo, Peter Small, Anna Pagnucci, Raelene Pullen, Ryan Collins, Megan Schoff, Patrick Reed, Martha Bonte, Bill Wohlford and Dan Sheridan.

Devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture, the first PechaKucha Night was held in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network and show their work in public. Now, they are held in over 600 cities around the world by a city organizer. PechaKucha Nights are FREE, informal, and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, or hobbies in the PechaKucha 20x20 format. This format allows presenters to show 20 slides for 20 seconds each (six minutes and 40 seconds in total) to keep presentations concise and fast-paced. The images advance automatically and the presenter talks along to the images.

Museum admission is free on Thursday evenings and this event will include free light appetizers beginning at 5:30 p.m. along with a cash bar. For more information on future dates, visit www.figgeartmuseum.org. If you are interested in becoming a presenter please contact Melissa Hueting at mhueting@figgeartmuseum.org.

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23 Apr 2013

Final River Reading at Augustana College for 2012-2013 Year

By Emily Timmons

Rock Island, IL/April 23, 2013 - Augustana College closes its 2012-2013 River Readings series this Thursday, April 25 with fiction writer Donald Ray Pollock. The event will be held at7 p.m. in Wallenberg Hall inside Denkmann Hall (3520 7th Ave). Every reading is open to the public and the campus community alike.

Donald Ray Pollock found fiction writing late in life, spending thirty-two years employed in a paper mill before enrolling in Ohio State University's MFA program at age 50.  After graduating in 2009, Anchor Books published Pollock's first book, Knockemstiff, which won the 2009 PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship.  His work has appeared in The New York Times, Third Coast, Chiron Review, Boulevard, Washington Square, and the Berkeley Fiction Review, to name a few.  Pollock's second book, The Devil All the Time (Doubleday, 2011) has been listed by Publisher's Weekly as one of the top ten books of the year and was released last summer to rave reviews.

The River Readings at Augustana is an annual literary reading series featuring authors from around the country and beyond, working in a variety of genres.

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16 Apr 2013

A Night of Music at the Figge

By Emily Timmons

Davenport, Iowa (April 16, 2013) - The Figge features two musicians this Thursday, April 18 for a FREE night of music.

University of Iowa violinist Katie Wolfe, who has played in eleven countries all over the world, will play in the Figge Lobby at 6 p.m., and will welcome a brief question and answer session following her performance.

Singer-songwriter Abbie Sawyer, the lead singer of soul-rock-Indie band Bermuda Report, will perform a musical tour of five artworks from the Figge's permanent collection and special exhibitions at 7 p.m.

After each performance, Sawyer will discuss the connections between her musical interpretations and the artworks. Come ready to share your own interpretation of both the sights and sounds of this one-night-only experience.

Each Thursday, the Figge offers a different experience to the public, such as a lecture, class, performance or other special activity. Most Thursdays begin at 5 p.m. with a cash bar and light snacks. Museum admission is free on Thursdays after 5 p.m.

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10 Apr 2013

FREE Figge Family Day

By Emily Timmons

Davenport, Iowa (April 9, 2013) – Find the fastest route to the FREE Figge Family Day, "Maps-Adventure, Fun and Family" on Saturday, April 13. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., families can explore the world of maps while enjoying free admission to the museum.

Kids can craft 3-dimensional treasure maps, sculpt the QC Riverfront in clay, or sketch a scenic view of the river from the Wintergarden.

Tales of travel will be read during story-time in the Library from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. along with facts and fun with X Marks the Spot in Studio 1. Don't forget to take the Map Folding Challenge at the Studio 4 Map Station, where families can examine real mapmaking tools and trace their path through the museum using a gallery map to win a special prize. Snacks will be provided.

This event is sponsored by John Deere, and is a companion event to the exhibition Marking Territory: Cartographic Treasures of the Mississippi River and the World Beyond which is on display until June 16, 2013.

In anticipation of the exhibition No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service by Chicago-based artist Juan Angel Chavez, the Figge will be collecting recycled materials for the artist to use in his installation artwork, opening on June 29, 2013. Best known for reusing salvaged materials, Chavez creates sculptures that sometimes fill an entire gallery. Some of the requested objects include : clothing, stuffed animals, wood flooring, buckets and lids.  For a complete list of acceptable materials, please visit the Figge's website.

Interested parties may drop off their donation between 10:00 - 12:00 on Saturday, April 13 on the Figge Plaza (rain-out location: Figge Lobby). The first 50 people who bring acceptable materials to donate will receive a special "thank you" gift from the Figge.

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10 Apr 2013

2013 Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Recipients

By Emily Timmons

Davenport, Iowa (April 9, 2013) – Since 2000, the Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Program has awarded $576,000 to graduating seniors in eastern Iowa and western Illinois who wish to study fine arts, design or art education in college. To be considered for this prestigious and very competitive $12,000 scholarship, applicants must submit a completed application, high school transcript, two letters of support, and a portfolio of 12 works. The program is funded by the Brand Boeshaar Foundation Fund, managed by the Figge Education Department, and administered by the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend.

The Figge Art Museum is pleased to announce...

2013 Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Recipients

The Lillian L. Brand Scholarship: Joshua Byrne, Davenport Central High School

The Isabelle M. Brand Scholarship: Marina Kruger, Moline High School

The Lucille Brand Boeshaar Scholarship: Emily Grooms, Moline High School

The William Brand Boeshaar Scholarship: Grant Chaddick, Riverdale Senior High School

2013 Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Honorable Mention

Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Honorable Mention: Chris Miller, Moline High School

Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Honorable Mention: Lilia Torres, Moline High School

Thursday April 11, 6 p.m.

The public is invited to an awards ceremony and reception at the museum in acknowledgement of the students.  Admission to the museum is free after 5 p.m.

Summer Drawing Program

The Summer Drawing Program gives talented high school art students a college-level experience while helping them prepare their portfolios for college admission and scholarships. This two-week course is the only program of its kind in the Quad Cities for aspiring young artists who plan to major in Art.  Applications and portfolios for this summer program are due April 20th. 2013 Portfolio drop-off days:  10 am - 5 pm Friday, April 19 and 10 am - 1 pm Saturday, April 20

For questions, please contact Heather Aaronson, education program coordinator, at 563.326.7804 x2045 or haaronson@figgeartmuseum.org.

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